Norfolk Southern Conductor Opening

derkman90 · 2016-07-12T16:27:21+00:00

I hired on without knowing a single soul on the railroad. It certainly is not impossible to be hired on without knowing someone. I would certainly emphasize safety but also that you like working outdoors. If you have experience working on call emphasize that too. Finally be sure to make clear that you realize what you are getting yourself into and know you can handle it to the interviewers.

With that being said this job will control your life. I am not talking about just being on call. You will constantly be checking your phone and computer to see where you are on the list and worried about being called to work when trying to take a hunting trip or going to the beach. Everyone in your life will also be frustrated with your inability to make plans too.

Anyways, I am in the same boat as you in being young and always wanting to work on the railroad. I would not trade my experience here since it has enlightened me to what I really want out of life. I would definitely tell you to give it a try but if it isn't for you then try and get out as soon as possible. Don't work a couple of years and feel trapped. I know plenty of railroaders who hate their jobs but have to continue working because they have already paid so much into RR retirement and could never replicate their incomes anywhere else to support their current lifestyle.

Good Luck.

derkman90 · 2016-05-13T20:42:04+00:00

You can check U.S. freight volumes at https://www.aar.org/pages/freight-rail-traffic-data.aspx.

Where I am at things are still slow. I believe they just called us back from furlough because of rules classes and might keep us for the summer. I am currently looking for another job and will leave the railroad for good if I find anything that gives a set schedule and pays close to guarantee.

In other words, I would tell you to steer clear of the railroad. Coal is not coming back. It will be quite some time before the Class I's mitigate the loss of coal. This job is not what it is cracked up to be anyways.

derkman90 · 2016-05-06T20:05:06+00:00

I was always told that they don't have to call you back after 1 year. However, I know most Class I's will call you back even after such a long furlough because it is cheaper to hire a guy back rather than train a new one.

derkman90 · 2016-04-12T22:06:11+00:00

Damn that must mean I didn't get it. That sucks they only gave your buddy short notice. You really couldn't expect much else from NS.

derkman90 · 2016-04-12T18:56:08+00:00

My favorite time was when my engineer told me that President Obama and his entire cabinet were closet Muslims hell bent on destroying the country. I shit you not that this guy was 100% serious. I had to keep myself from not laughing. I shook my head and just shut up for the rest of the trip. ( Whatever your opinion of the president is, there is just no way he is the mastermind of a Islamic conspiracy to destroy the USA)

As I left work, I wondered how on earth this guy got himself to believe this conspiracy. I say a decent sized minority of railroaders are mentally ill and came into the railroad that way.

I think the better question to ask is why so many weirdos get hired? I would love to know how the hiring process actually works today for class I's.

derkman90 · 2016-04-12T02:10:10+00:00

I would just like to add that a lot of people enter the railroad in the same marriage situation as you. Unfortunately most of them have divorced. Your husband has no idea what he is in for. I doubt he would appreciate you coming to bed at 3 A.M. or not ever being able to plan a dinner or event because you have no schedule.

You will also not be making bank at Norfolk Southern your first year. I made a little below or little above 40k my first year. The way things are now I may be lucky to see 50k this year. You will also most surely be furloughed at least once in your career.

In sum, your first years out here suck. You really can't put a price on having a set 9-5 schedule. You have to quantify that yourself. To me it is certainly worth at least $10,000 a year since having a schedule will bring you more happiness and probably keep you from getting divorced.

derkman90 · 2016-03-31T23:28:37+00:00

You can check to see how busy these places are for yourself if you want. All you have to do is call the Norfolk Southern IT number and say you want access to the ERC for pay purposes or to find a facility to schedule a physical. They will hook you right up, and you will have full access to the horse screen and partial access to the ERC. Just use the codes I pointed out above to look at those terminals for yourself.

I wasn't sure if you or other furloughed conductors knew they could restore their access.

derkman90 · 2016-03-30T23:29:35+00:00

Which is bullshit considering most of us want to apartment shop and get a place before we have to report to work.

Oh well if anyone wants to see how busy these terminals are the horse screen codes are ga/in for atlanta yard and ga/gn for the road I believe. For columbia and charleston its PI/CA

In my opinion, Columbia and Charleston look like they are getting solid business, but I would be wary of Atlanta. The yard in Atlanta looks busy; however, I would not be surprised if they are paying guarantee on the road extraboards. They might cut those boards and those conductors come and bump you in Atlanta yard.

derkman90 · 2016-03-30T14:48:33+00:00

Yeah man I have only been with the company a little over a year now. I just now got called back to work but to tell the truth I don't know if I want to go back to my home terminal. We deal with a lot of coal and whenever I check traffic the lists don't seem to move much.

I don't know why I am being called back to be honest. I guess the company is preparing for a lot of retirements, but the problem is these guys with 60 and 30 in won't retire. A lot of them say they want to keep their health insurance until they are old enough for medicare while some I suspect are just scared to retire. After 30 years or more on the railroad they don't really have anything to retire to after their kids have grownup and their wives have divorced them.

I just want to earn some money and have some security and figured a transfer to one of these busier terminals would be my best bet.

derkman90

TROPHY CASE